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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27436294">Maybe I'll see you in another life (if this one wasn't enough)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWulffe/pseuds/LoneWulffe'>LoneWulffe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Swamp Thing (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:34:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27436294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWulffe/pseuds/LoneWulffe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There is no swamp, no mystery illness, no supernatural forces and no cruel machinations of fate.</p><p>There is only Abby and Alec, and all the universes where their paths still cross.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Abby Arcane/Alec Holland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. the caffeine connection (part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Um, hi. So I'm new to the fandom thanks to the CW airing Season 1 and needless to say I was hooked before the first episode was over. Of course, I was depressed to find out it had already been cancelled so now I'm here praying that the show gets saved by some miracle and doing what I can for the fandom which is write fic.</p><p>I know there's probably not a lot of people (still) here but if anyone wants, I'm accepting prompts for more short fics like this one so send me anything - a simple scenario, a sentence, even a song or a poem - and I'll see what I can do with it. However, I reserve the right to turn down any prompts/requests for my own reasons. You can drop off your prompt in the comments section below.</p><p>(IMPORTANT NOTE: Please only submit normal human AU prompts. I'm watching the show as it airs on CW so I'm not accepting canon-related prompts (especially not now) and I'd appreciate it if you didn't spoil the rest of Season 1 for me. Thank you.</p><p>For the record, the title of this prompt fic collection comes from the Florence + The Machine song How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Requested By: madeunmexico</p><p>Prompt: "They meet at a conference"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Abby stifled another yawn and surreptitiously checked her watch as the speaker continued to deliver his closing remarks in the same droning voice he had used throughout his entire speech. At least there would be a break after this; she wasn't sure she could keep her eyes open any longer unless she got some fresh air and a decent cup of coffee in the next five minutes.</p><p>And to think that she still had two and a half days of this left to endure.</p><p>The speaker finally finished but she resisted the urge to bolt for the exit and instead followed everyone else out of the hall at a sedate pace. All around her, people were in the midst of discussing everything from what was most likely going to be served for lunch to where they should go for drinks that night. Not a single stray conversation she could overhear was about the research that had just been shared during the talk. (Which, to be fair, had been delivered in the most mind-numbing manner possible but that wasn't exactly a good excuse.)</p><p>This was exactly why she <em>hated</em> attending these conferences.</p><p>As much as she loved Harlan, she was starting to think she should have never let him cajole her into applying to attend this damn thing.</p><p>“Treat it like a vacation, he said,” she muttered under her breath as she avoided the tea and coffee station just outside the hall along with the small crowd lingering around it. “Just relax, enjoy all the free food and don't think about work, he said.”</p><p>On second thought, maybe she should make Harlan pay somehow when she got back to Atlanta. He owed her a round of drinks at the very least.</p><p>Finally she spotted a lone coffee machine far away enough from the hall that none of her fellow conference attendees had chosen to congregate around it. Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickened her pace a little and reached out for the nearest empty cup-</p><p>“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”</p><p>She stopped, hand still outstretched, and slowly turned to the source of the voice to find a guy eyeing her over the lid of his disposable coffee cup – a disposable coffee cup that very obviously did not bear any sign it came from the conference centre. “Excuse me?”</p><p>“That.” He pointed at the coffee machine with the hand holding his coffee, his other hand casually tucked into his pants pocket. Although he was dressed appropriately and wearing a pass exactly like hers, he still somehow came across as if he was just passing through instead of being there by choice. “Tastes like swamp water.”</p><p>One of her eyebrows arched. “And you'd know this because...?”</p><p>“Fell into a swamp once.” It was hard to tell if he was being truthful or not. “Wouldn't recommend it. Just like I wouldn't recommend drinking anything from that machine.”</p><p>“...I'm guessing you have a better alternative,” she said dryly.</p><p>He grinned and straightened as if he'd been waiting for her to say just that. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he replied and jabbed his thumb behind him in the general direction of the conference centre's entrance. “There's a coffee kiosk on the other side of the street that doesn't charge too much and I can personally guarantee that what they sell tastes a <em>lot</em> better than swamp water.”</p><p>Abby narrowed her eyes and didn't say anything.</p><p>As if he had sensed her distrust – not that she was doing much to hide it – he smiled a little wider, his sincere expression somehow both charming and slightly amusing.</p><p>...Oh what the hell. Why not. “...Fine.”</p><p>Having apparently not expected her response, he blinked and his smile actually slipped for a second. “Oh, that worked?” Then he brightened. “That worked. Right, uh, this way. Oh.” He stopped, turned back around to face her and held his hand out. “Holland. Like the country. But you can call me Alec.”</p><p>It took some valiant effort on her part but she ultimately managed to keep her expression rather neutral as she shook his hand. “Dr Abby Arcane.”</p><p>Impossibly, his grin widened. Did he ever stop smiling? “Cool name.”</p><p>“So Dr Arcane,” he started casually he led her out of the conference centre, “thoughts on the conference so far?”</p><p>“It's... too early to say,” she hedged out of politeness, not seeing any upside to sharing her real opinion on the matter.</p><p>He chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. “Not exactly riveting stuff, you mean. And for the record, I totally agree. Oh, here we are.”</p><p>“Double espresso.” She eyed him with one raised eyebrow as she waited for the barista to make her drink. It was a silent dare for him to say anything about her order but he didn't take the bait. “Sounds like you're not exactly thrilled to be attending it.”</p><p>“I could say the same about you,” he pointed out, a hint of teasing in his voice. “It's a kind of forced vacation for me because I apparently work too much according to my boss but what's your excuse?”</p><p>A laugh slipped out of her despite herself as she accepted her coffee and paid for it. “Same deal but my friend Harlan is the one who convinced me to attend.”</p><p>“Huh. Might want to rethink that friendship then.” He studied her intently as he watched her take her first sip. “So what's the verdict, Dr Arcane?”</p><p>“...It's good,” she admitted. Better than good, even, but she wasn't about to hand him the win that easily. “And Abby is fine.”</p><p>That grin of his returned. “Well then, Abby, feel like living off the coffee from this place to get through the rest of the conference alive with me?”</p><p>She hid her smile by taking another sip of her drink. “Works for me.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. the caffeine connection (part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Continuation of the conference AU</p>
<p>Notes: This is gradually becoming a pseudo-multi-chaptered fic and I don't know how to feel about that...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had barely gotten past the next stage of the usual introductions before Abby's phone alerted her that the break was over, and she was actually a little surprised how much she wanted to just stay here talking to Alec instead.</p>
<p>“Time for our next dose of boredom, I take it?” he asked, having accurately deduced the reason she was staring at her phone with distaste.</p>
<p>“Pretty much.” Tucking her phone back into her pocket, she turned around and held out her now empty coffee cup for the barista who eyed her with one raised eyebrow. “Another double espresso, please.”</p>
<p>To Alec's credit, he didn't say anything again but his barely smothered laugh spoke volumes in its stead.</p>
<p>She narrowed her eyes at him although she wasn't actually offended in the slightest. “I just prefer to be prepared,” she said a little defensively anyway.</p>
<p>“Can't say I blame you, knowing what we're up against.” Shrugging, he stepped up to the barista with his own cup held out and flashed her a sunny grin. “Might as well join you, right?”</p>
<p>“If you have trouble sleeping tonight, it's on you, not me,” she warned him.</p>
<p>“I'll be fine.” He threw her a conspiratorial wink. “I like to live dangerously sometimes.”</p>
<p>“Is that how you ended up drinking swamp water once?” she asked wryly.</p>
<p>“...Maybe...” he hedged but was saved from elaborating on what she was sure was quite the story by the barista handing him his drink. “Well, Dr Arcane, once more unto the breach together?” he asked with a dramatic flourish that somehow didn't end with something getting spilt or knocked to the ground.</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the bemused smile that formed on her lips as she gestured towards the conference centre with her free hand. “Might as well.”</p>
<p>As it turned out, ordering a second double espresso had been the smart thing to do when they found out the topic of the next speech.</p>
<p>“My favourite,” Alec stage-whispered as they took their seats. “The thinly veiled sales pitch.”</p>
<p>Abby told herself the only reason she didn't elbow him for that was that she might spill her drink. “They have their redeeming qualities. Sometimes.”</p>
<p>He eyed her critically, having clearly not expected her to play devil's advocate. “Such as...?”</p>
<p>“The data is usually pretty sound,” she pointed out. “It has to be if they want it to back the benefits of whatever it is they're selling.”</p>
<p>“Unless it's a scam,” he countered.</p>
<p>“Unless it's a scam,” she agreed.</p>
<p>To the speaker's credit and the company she represented, the data did in fact seem reasonably trustworthy and while their fields didn't overlap much, Abby found herself able to discuss it to some extent with Alec. It was something of a relief to find someone else who would actually try to take the conference seriously, strangely enough, and she appreciated that he didn't just while away the time staring at his phone like so many of the others around them. They stuck together for lunch as well as if it was natural, the two of them alternating between talking about the conference and their work.</p>
<p>In the end, it was something of a surprise that she hadn't needed any extra caffeine boosts to stay awake throughout the rest of the speeches... but what surprised her more was that she now sort of looked forward to the next two days.</p>
<p>“So what's the plan for tonight?” Alec asked as they followed the crowd out of the conference centre one last time for the day. “Going to break your promise to your friend and get some work done while eating dinner delivered by room service before you call it a night and somehow manage to sleep off all those espressos?”</p>
<p>She had in fact intended to do a bit of light reading – Liz and Harlan insisted she had no idea what 'light reading' actually meant but that was just their (unwanted) opinions – but now that she felt a little called out especially on the dinner part, she was reconsidering her plans. “I haven't decided yet.”</p>
<p>He smiled at her in a way that suggested he knew she wasn't being all that truthful but thankfully didn't say anything to that effect. “Well, I'll be heading out for dinner and maybe a drink or two after a quick shower. You're welcome to join me if you're interested. In the first two, that is, not the last one,” he quickly added as if he had only realised how his offer could be misinterpreted after it he'd said it.</p>
<p>It sounded dangerously too much like a date for her liking and she didn't really do dates – especially not with someone she'd literally known for less than a day – but... he seemed harmless enough. Nice, even. And it was only going to qualify as a sort-of-date if she wanted it to so what was the harm, really? “Depends on whether you already have a place in mind.”</p>
<p>“Not a fan of just walking around until you find somewhere interesting?”</p>
<p>“I'd rather avoid wasting time. And food poisoning, among other possible unwanted outcomes.”</p>
<p>“Fair enough. How about you meet me at... let's see... Where are you staying?”</p>
<p>“The Grand Summit Hotel.”</p>
<p>“Huh. Me too. Okay, so how about we meet in the lobby a couple of hours from now? I'm pretty sure that should be enough time to find a decent place nearby with good Yelp reviews.”</p>
<p>She raised one eyebrow.</p>
<p>He smiled a little wider.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. the caffeine connection (part 3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Continuation of the conference AU</p>
<p>Notes: At long last, the final part of this little saga!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Abby somehow found herself saying yes, and two hours later they were standing in front of a restaurant and bar that made her think of Delroy's.</p>
<p>If she didn't know any better, she would probably have accused Alec of Googling Marais. It was almost impossible to do so – she knew because she'd tried it once as a teen on a whim – but maybe her sleepy little hometown had somehow managed to finally put itself on the map after all these years. Even so, she still cast him a somewhat suspicious look as they lingered outside.</p>
<p>“Not your kind of place?” he asked, nothing but guileless curiosity written on his face as he stared back. “Because I have a few other options-”</p>
<p>“No, this is fine.” Either he was a really good actor or he'd just happened to pick somewhere that reminded her so strongly of home completely by chance. Somehow she doubted it was the former, and that made her feel comfortable enough to share at least one of the thoughts that had crossed her mind. “It's just that there's a place like this back where I grew up.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Good memories?” he hazarded after a pause, and in that pause she could almost hear him trying to figure out if he'd lucked out or screwed up with this latest development.</p>
<p>“Good memories,” she affirmed, smiling as her mind drifted for a moment back to the last time she had seen Liz and her father in the family-owned establishment. Maybe she would drive down to Marais and see them again when she had a long weekend to spare.</p>
<p>The grin that was starting to become alarmingly familiar to her lit up his face at that. “All right then. After you.”</p>
<p>How he managed to make the simple act of opening a door such a grand gesture she had no idea but it coaxed a laugh out of her and she went along with it. Luckily for the both of them, they didn't have to wait long before they were directed to a small table close to the bar.</p>
<p>“I think I'll have to give this place a five-star review just based on the variety,” he whistled as he flipped through the menu in his hands, pulling her attention away from her own as he did so.</p>
<p>“You know you're supposed to actually make sure any of it tastes good before you do that, right?” Even as she asked that, however, she wondered if he said things like this just to get some kind of a reaction out of her. Considering some of the more outlandish statements he'd made so far in their relatively brief acquaintance, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Then again, it also seemed entirely possible that this was just how he was on any regular day which was an absurdly charming thought to have.</p>
<p>“Well, they do say variety's the spice of life and no one looks like they're going to drop dead from food poisoning so it seems like everything's a safe bet at least,” he pointed out as he jerked his head to indicate the crowd around them.</p>
<p>The second one was a fair point and she acknowledged it with a brief nod. “You're still going to have to decide on something though unless you've been holding out on how much you can actually eat in one meal.”</p>
<p>“Nope, perfectly normal human stomach unfortunately. But how about this?” he leaned in with something that passed for a conspiratorial look and she humoured him by doing the same. “If you're up for it, we could order a few things to share so we get to try more than just the one or two items we pick for ourselves. I'll even pay if you want since it's my idea.”</p>
<p>The invisible needle which had been hovering in the middle ground between 'date' and 'not a date' swung to the left.</p>
<p>Abby's first instinct was to decline but stopped herself before she voiced as much. If it had been some other guy, she would have attributed all of this to an admittedly smooth setup. But it was Alec, and even though she was still getting to know him it didn't strike her as something he would do. Chances were he'd essentially stumbled into it just like how he'd ended up picking somewhere that looked like a more polished version of Delroy's. “Sounds good to me. But,” she added as she mentally nudged the needle closer to its original neutral position, “if we're sharing the food it's only fair if we share the bill too.”</p>
<p>“Fair enough,” he conceded rather easily before leaning back and perusing his menu again with renewed interest, unwittingly proving her right in the process. “Feel free to pick anything that catches your eye; I can't figure out where to begin so you'll actually be doing me a favour.”</p>
<p>Despite his reassurance, she made sure he was fine with anything she pointed out before she added it to their slowly growing list of orders. Although she had initially resolved to be a little more adventurous with her choices, nostalgia ended up guiding most of her decision-making. It was because the place reminded her of Delroy's, she reasoned, and thus it only seemed natural to pay tribute to home even when it came to her choice of drink.</p>
<p>It didn't surprise her all that much when he noticed.</p>
<p>“I'll have the same,” he told the waiter before turning his attention back to her with a knowing smile. “A Louisiana girl through and through, huh?”</p>
<p>She shrugged slightly but didn't try to deny it. “Yes, but you'll find bourbon goes well with most of what we ordered too.”</p>
<p>He hummed thoughtfully. “Looking forward to it then.”</p>
<p>Any further discussion on the matter was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing although the name on the screen led to an internal debate as to whether she should answer it. After a few rings, however, she excused herself and tapped the green button against her better judgement.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Harlan's voice greeted her the moment the call went through. “Just thought I'd check up on you since you've probably holed yourself up in- Hold on... Is that... Is that <em>a crowd</em> I hear in the background? Abby, are you <em>outside</em>? <em>With people?</em>”</p>
<p>“We're just having a drink, Harlan.” She strategically left out the part about dinner... not that it did her much good.</p>
<p>“'We'? So you <em>are</em> with someone! Who is he? It's a guy, right? I need a name. And pictures. Oh god, I need to call Liz-”</p>
<p>Yes, this had definitely been a mistake. “<em>Goodnight, Harlan.</em>”</p>
<p>“That wasn't a nice call judging by the look on your face,” Alec commented neutrally when she sat back down at their table. “Aggressive debt collector with insomnia?” A pause followed. “Worried boyfriend?”</p>
<p>The pause along with how he was suddenly a little too relaxed – the kind of relaxed that came about when someone was trying <em>too</em> hard not to outwardly react to something – pushed the invisible needle back in the direction of 'date'.</p>
<p>For one very brief moment, she considered answering with anything other than the truth if only to see how he would react but ultimately decided against it. He'd been pretty honest if a bit theatrical with her and hadn't said or done anything so far to deserve being yanked around. “No, just a soon-to-be ex-best friend,” she replied with an aggravated sigh that was only half for show.</p>
<p>As if on cue, her phone started ringing again but this time she responded by shutting it off without a shred of remorse after one glance at the name on the screen.</p>
<p>“That's harsh,” he commented neutrally although she noticed he had relaxed a bit – not enough that he had returned fully to his laid-back self but enough that she could expect their conversation to not be awkward for the rest of the night. It was admittedly a guess but she had a feeling she knew why that was the case. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”</p>
<p>She laughed just a little at that, and this time it was she herself who nudged that invisible needle a little further to the left. “If we end up talking long enough for that to become a possibility, I will.”</p>
<p>In the end, she never had to even as a joke so agreeing to get coffee together for the next two days seemed like the natural thing to do, and before they parted ways for good on the last day she gave him her card.</p>
<p>“In case you ever find yourself in Atlanta,” Abby said and watched carefully as Alec studied the number on it with the intensity of someone committing an important detail to memory. “I'll return the favour and show you where you can get a good cup of coffee.” It was an excuse – possibly even a weak one; she didn't exactly do this often if at all – but that was her secret to keep.</p>
<p>“I'll hold you to that,” he grinned as he waved her card in the air.</p>
<p>(When he did, Harlan and Liz were somehow more excited about it than Abby herself, to her long-suffering exasperation.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Prompts/requests are welcome and will be written on a "first submitted, first written" basis.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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